Vecchio Magazzino Doganale Amaro Importante
Vecchio Magazzino Doganale Amaro Importante — officially "Jefferson Amaro Importante" — is a 60-proof (30% ABV) 700mL Calabrian amaro from Montalto Uffugo, in the province of Cosenza. Created by Ivano Trombino from a recipe inspired by 1871, it is built on botanicals grown around the distillery — bergamot, bitter and sweet orange, lemon, grapefruit, absinthe, and vanilla — combined with rosemary, oregano, gentian, rhubarb, and eucalyptus, with no artificial aromas or coloring. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 30% (60 proof)
- Size: 700mL
- Age/prep: 9+ months to assemble, plus 40 days bottle rest
- Botanicals: bergamot, bitter/sweet orange, lemon, grapefruit, absinthe, vanilla, rosemary, oregano, gentian, rhubarb, eucalyptus
- Production: separate water-alcohol infusions; wheat/corn/barley alcohol base; filtered only through linen cloth
- Origin: Montalto Uffugo, Calabria, Italy — Vecchio Magazzino Doganale
Shipwrecked in Calabria
The brand lore reaches to 1871, when the shipwrecked American Captain Jefferson and two fellow sailors landed on the Fiumefreddo Bruzio coast and collaborated with local Raffaele Trombino on an amaro — hence the Jefferson name. The modern company assembles the amaro over nine-plus months from individually prepared infusions, preserving each botanical's seasonality, then rests it 40 days in bottle. Named World's Best Liqueur at the 2018 World Liqueur Awards (per the Finnish distributor). See the Vecchio Magazzino Doganale collection and more Italian liqueurs at Del Mesa.
Tasting Notes
Dark amber; candied citrus, aromatic herbs, and clove on the nose with balsamic depth. The palate is elegant and soft, well balanced — gentian bitterness, rosemary and oregano herbals, and citrus peel over a clean, lingering herbal finish.
How to Enjoy
Neat or on ice after dinner is traditional; it also deepens a Negroni or a Paper Plane with its Calabrian citrus-herb profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
What proof is Amaro Importante?
60 proof (30% ABV).
Where is it made?
Montalto Uffugo, Calabria, Italy — not Tuscany, as some listings claim.
What is it flavored with?
Calabrian citrus (bergamot, bitter and sweet orange, lemon, grapefruit) plus absinthe, vanilla, rosemary, oregano, gentian, rhubarb, and eucalyptus — no artificial aromas or coloring.
Calabria's celebrated amaro, shipwreck-born — order Vecchio Magazzino Doganale Amaro Importante online from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.